In the manufacture of a fabric web workpiece, e.g. woven, knitted, or nonwoven fabric including felts and fleeces made of staple fibers, continuous filaments or cellulose fibers and even having multiple layers. Such fabrics are typically treated by passing them over a support and directing high-pressure liquid jets at them from an overhead jet beam. A perforated suction surface provided below the jet beam aspirates the spray. A so-called suction chamber is provided between the jet beam and the workpiece to aspirate spray created by the process.
It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,457,335 to collect the liquid spraying against the water beam. Here the suction apparatus is located to the side of the water beam and extends along its entire length. A funnel-shaped slot formed at the edge of the water beam has a slot width of approximately 2 mm at its inner end. If a sufficiently strong vacuum is connected to the otherwise completely enclosed apparatus, all the droplets including any spray mist from the underside of the water beam can be aspirated safely from the goods being needled.
A water beam for the water needling of fabrics is further known from WO 2001/040562 of Vuillaume that has a suction chamber attached to the water beam in an upper region and forming a groove adjacent the water jets, with a porous floor adjacent this groove. Thus spray is aspirated both through the groove and through the porous floor. Spray can only inadequately be removed with this apparatus. Furthermore, spray cannot be aspirated on the opposite side of the water jet.